Steam-superheater.



W. F. J. CASEY.

STEAM SUPERHEATER.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 4, 1913.

I Patented Feb. 9, 1915.

fx mxw FFTQ V WILLIAM FREDERICK JOSEPH. GASEYQ OE KINGSTON, ONTARIO, CANADA, ASSIG- IN'OR T0 LOOOMOTIVE SUPERHE'ATER COMPANY,' O F NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

STEAM-SUEE'RHEATER.

Application filed June 4, 1913.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM F. J. CAsEY, of the city of Kingston, in the Province of Ontario and Dominion of Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Steam-Superheaters, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This inventionrelates to improvements in super-heaters; preferably for use in connection with locomotive boilers, and the object is to provide a superheater of simple, inexpensive and durable construction composed of a minimum number of parts.

A further object is to provide a superheater having the wet and superheated steam headers relatively movable, in order to allow for contraction and expansion of the superheating loops.

Further objects and advantages will be apparent to those skilled in the art to which this invention relates from the following description.

At the present time, superheaters consist as a rule of a number of superheating units or loops connected at their opposite endsto headers. Each loop as a rule occupies a SlIlgle fire tube of the boiler, these tubes being preferably spaced equidistantly. As there are obviouslyas many superheating units as fire tubes, it will be seen that a large number of connections require to be made between these units and the headers.

In the present invention, the fire tubes of the boiler are arranged in vertical and l'lOIlzontal rows as usual, but the spacing of these horizontal tuberows is irregular, so that the tubes are arranged in spaced groups; The superheater units are arranged in the form of a number of loops arranged in a vertical plane, each loop entering a fire tube, so that each unit passes through a plurality of fire tubes. The heating units are preferably arranged side by side in pairs. The wet or saturated steam is delivered from the boiler into a header having upper and lower discharging portions connected atv their adjacent ends. This header is arranged in front of the front tube sheet and is preferablysufficiently large to surround all the fire tubes, The superheated steam header i's'arranged horizontally between the upper and lower portions of the saturated steamheader and opposite the horizontal space between the groups of fire tubes. Opposite ends of the Specification Letters Patent.

- upper and lower groups,

Patented Feb. a, rare. Serial No. 771,657.

superheated steam header are ccinnected to the cylinder supply pipes, while the saturated steam header receives its supply at the center, so that the flow of steam is always outward toward the cylinders.

In the drawings which illustrate the invention :'Figure 1 is a half front elevation of the superheater. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view on the line 2 2, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a half horizontal section on the line 3 3, Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a sectional detail view of the connecting means between the heating units and headers. Referring more particularly to the drawings, 5 designates a boiler having front and back, tube plates 6 and 7 respectively, between which are supported a/plurality of fire tubes 8 arranged in vertical and horizontal rows, the vertical rows being uniformly spaced while the horizontal rows are irregularly spaced, so as to divide the tubes into as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The smoke box in which the superheater is located is designated 9. The wet or saturatedsteam header has an upper horizontal portion 10 and a lower horizontal portion llconnected by outwardly and rearwardly curved portions 12. This header receives steam from the boiler at the center of its upper portion 10 through a neck 13, the upper portion 10 being contracted away from the center, so as to give uniform distribution to heating units connected thereto, while the lower horizontal portion is contracted 'toward the center for the same urpose. These upper and lower portions of the header are arranged respectively above and below the fire tubes, while the connectingend portions 12 are arranged considerably to one side of the tubes, as clearly shown in Fig. 1

The superheated steam header ll is horizontally arranged mid-way between the upper and lower portions 11 of the saturated steam header and opposite the-space between the upper and lower fire tube groups. This header increases in cross sectional area from the center-toward the ends, where it is provided with necks 15 for connection with the as clearly shown. 3, so that the header main 1 necters 28 on the headers, that is to say, the

steam header abut'the end portions 12 of the saturated steam header, and in order to permit of slight relative movement between the headers, the end of the superheated steam header is provided with a groove 16 for the reception of a lug 17 formed on the end member of the saturated steam header. This arrangement senves to partially support the superheated steam header, and owing to the disposition of the grooves and lugs permits the headers to move relatively longitudinally of the boiler, so that the expansion and contraction of the superheating loops connected between the two headers will not produce any stress either in the tubes themselves or in the headers. In order to connect the large end portions of the superheated steam header with the discharge necks 15, which it will be seen are positioned in front of the end mem-' bers 12 of the saturated steam header, the superheated steam headers are provided with enlarged end portions 18 connecting the necks with the ends of the header, sothat there will be no contraction of the passage at this point. The rearward curvature of the ends of the saturated steam header provides a seating recess for this enlarged portion of the superheated steam header, as clearly shown in Fig.2, so that the front surfaces of both headers are in the same vertical plane.

The superheating elements consist of a plurality of units 19 formed preferably of four straight tube lengths 20 connected at their rear ends by return bends 21.. The front ends of the two center tubes are preferably connected by a loop 22, although a return bend may be. used at this point if desired. Theforward ends of the two outer tubes project slightly beyond the loops 22, and are screwed into elbows 23 having flanges 24 engaged by internal flanges 25 on nuts 26, which screw onto the necks 27 of suitable connecters 28. These connecters are formed with as many necks as required by their disposition on the headers, and are screwed into openings 29 in the front faces of the headers. Each of the superheating units thus formed is preferaby located with its various tubes arranged in a vertical plane, the two loops thereon passing into two fire tubes arranged one above the other, as clearly shown in the drawings. When the-size of the fire tubes permits, there are preferably 7 two superheating units for each pair of tubes, the unitsbeing arranged side by side. By arranging two superheating units in each vertical pair of fire tubes, the spacing between the superheatingunits will be irregular, so that ample room will be left between alternate units for the location of the conconnecters will be arranged in line with the spaces between the fire tubes. 7 the elbows 23 within the nuts 26may be provided with spherically curved or conical seat The ends of faces 30, which will engage with the ends of the connecter necks, and make steam tight joints when the nuts are screwed up without the use of any packing. Wet steam enters the superheater through the neck 13 and flows laterally in opposite, directions through the upper horizontal portion 10, downwardly through the end portions 12, and laterally toward the center in the lower horizontal portion 11. tapering of the upper and lower horizontal portions causes the steam to be distributed equally to all superheating units connected to these portions, so that each tube receives an equal supply. By leaving the center of the lower portion undisturbed, a balance of steam pressure is obtained in both sides of the header so that one side is prevented from robbing the other. From the saturated steam header, the steam flows through the connectors-28 into the superheating units,- passing rearwardly and forwardly through; the first ,loop, thenpassing around the bend 22, and rearwardly and forwardly through the second loop of the unit, which it will be noted is in a separate fire tube from the first loop. The steam then flows through a con-. necter into the superheated steam header 14 and escapesthrough the neck of the header to the cylinder supply pipes.

-The arrangement, of each superheating unit in two separate fire tubes-is very advantageous for the reason that if one tube receives only a restricted supply of heat or becomes badly sooted, the efiiciency of the heating unit is not entirely lost, as the steam will-be superheated in the next loop of the unit which occupies a separate fire tube. This arrangement obviously prevents the delivery into the superheated steam header of partly wet steam, which is liable to occur in any superheater wherein each unit occu pies only a single fire tube.

From the foregoing description, it will be readily seen that the superheater consist of a small number of parts of great simplicity and durability, which may be manufactured and installed at a minimum of ex pense. Each superheating unit may be removed for cleaning or repair without disturbing any other unit or either of the headers. The arrangement of the units also reduces the number of joints and 'connecters by half, thus reducing the cost and the liability of leakage. Furthermore, the arrangement of units enables the use of lighter headers, which do not obstruct the escape of "gases from the fire tubes as much as the type of headers at present in general use. The superheating tubes themselves are perfectly straight and are manufactured without any upsetting, thus reducing the cost. Furthermore, the use of straight tubes and their The close connection to the headers causes the inertia of the tubes when the locomotive is and supported by said end portions, and

superheating tubes connected between the two headers.

2. In combination, a locomotive boiler provided with flue tubes, apair of headers, one for saturated and one for superheated steam, one of said headers being attached to the boiler and the other slidably supported upon the first header, and superheating tubes connected between the two'headers.

3. In combination, a locomotive boiler provided with flue tubes, horizontal saturated and superheated headers forwardly of said flue tubes, one header being movabl supported. upon the other so as to shit relatively thereto and axially of the boiler as expansion and contraction takes place, and superheater tubes connected between .the two headers.

4. In combination, a locomotive boiler provided with flue tubes, saturated and superheated headers forwardly of said flue tubes one header being fixedly attached to the boiler and theother movably supported thereon, guiding means whereby movement of the supported header is restricted to a direction lengthwise of the boiler, and superheater tubes connecting the two headers.

5. In a steam superheater, a saturated steam header having upper and lower horizontal passages with rearwardly curved end passages connecting said upper and lower passages, a superheated steam header horizontally arranged between the upper and lower passages of the saturated steam header having its ends slidably engaging the end passages of the saturated steam-header and formed with portions of reduced depth and increased width seated in the rearwardly curved portions of said end passages, and superheating tubes connected between the superheated and saturated steam headers.

6. In a steam superheater, a saturated steam header havingupper and lower portions, downwardly and rearwardly curved end portions, a superheatedsteam header intermediate said upper and lower portions,

having its ends provided with grooves receiving lugs upon said saturated steam header, and superheating tubes connected between, and to' said saturated steam header and said superheated steam header.

'7. In combination, a locomotive boiler provided with flue tubes, a steam header having upper and lower horizontal portions joined by rearwardly curved end portions having laterally inner and longitudinal lugs,

a secondsteam header parallel with and' between said upper and lower portions'and having its ends grooved to engage said lugs, one of said headers being for saturated and the other for superheatedsteam, and superheater tubes connecting the two headers.

8. In combination, a locomotive boiler provided with fine tubes, a saturated header fixedly attached to the boiler, a superheated header completely independent thereof and supported upon'the saturated header so as to be movable with respect thereto, guiding means whereby the relative movement is restricted to a direction lengthwise of the boiler, and superheater tubes connecting the two headers.

9. In combination, a locomotive boiler provided with flue tubes, a pair of headers for saturated and superheated steamrespectively, one of said headers bein attached to the boiler and the other slidab y supported upon the first header the two headers being provided with mutually engaging longitudinally disposed guiding elements so that the sliding movement of the second header is also longitudinal, and superheating tubes connected between the two headers.

10. In combination, a locomotive boiler provided with flue tubes, a pair of headers for saturated and superheated; steam respectively, the headers being relatively slidable and provided with mutually engaging longitudinally disposed guiding elements so that the relative sliding movement is also longitudinal, and superheating tubes connected between the two headers. I

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM FREDERICK JOSEPH CASEY.

Witnesses:

BYRoN A. KELLY, FRED A. HARRIGAN. 

